Argentina–Israel relations
 |
|
 Israel |
 Argentina |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic Mission | |
| Israeli Embassy, Buenos Aires | Argentine Embassy, Tel Aviv |
| Envoy | |
| Ambassador Ilan Sztulman | Ambassador Carlos Faustino García |
Argentina–Israel relations refer to international relations between Argentina and Israel. Both countries established diplomatic relations on May 31, 1949.
Relations between the two were tied during the early years of Nazi hunting when Israel's Mossad kidnapped former-Nazi Adolf Eichmann despite Argentine protestations of a violation of its sovereignty. Immediately after World War II, Argentina was a safe haven for former Nazi officials because they brought badly needed capital investment and/or technical expertise.
Carlos Menem was the first head of state of Argentina to make a diplomatic visit to Israel, in 1991. He proposed to mediate between Israel and Syria in their negotiations over the Golan Heights. However, the relations were further tested when Hezbollah was blamed for bombing the Israeli embassy and a Jewish community centre in 1992 and 1994, respectively. Since 2013, roughly 100 Jewish organizations across Argentina have called for the government to repeal its pact with the Islamic Republic of Iran over the AMIA terrorist attacks.
In 2012, Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner met an Israeli-Palestinian delegation and announced that Argentina would spearhead the Latin American role in reinvigorating the peace process in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. In 2010, Argentina announced the intention to join Brazil in recognizing an independent Palestinian state, provoking sharp criticism from Israel.
While Argentina has the largest Jewish population in Latin America, there have been various cases of anti-Semitism in Argentina, such as the desecration of 58 Jewish graves in La Tablada by unknown peoples in 2009, mostly due to negative stereotypes of Jews controlling business interests and dominating the world through capitalism, as well as Israel's affiliation with the United States.
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